Jichang Dao Commissioner's Office

Jichang Dao Commissioner's Office

The Jichang Dao Commissioner's Office is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Commonly known as the Dao Governor’s Office, it was built in 1909 and served as the highest government office in Changchun at the time. It was primarily responsible for administrative and diplomatic affairs, with its internal divisions including the Diplomatic Affairs Department, Administrative Department, and Military Preparedness Department. In 1910, it was renamed the Southwest Circuit Observer’s Office, overseeing the Changchun Prefecture and governing 13 counties including Jilin, Changchun, Yitong, and Nongan.

The location of the Dao Commissioner's Office was also chosen with particular care. After the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan took the South Manchuria Railway from Russia and designated the Kuanchengzi Station and its surrounding areas as the South Manchuria Railway Concession Zone, constructing various institutions and facilities, essentially creating an independent enclave. Establishing the highest local government office, the Dao Commissioner's Office, in this area was intended to prevent the South Manchuria Railway from expanding southward, while also demonstrating national prestige and boosting Chinese morale.

The Dao Commissioner's Office is a Western-style building, entirely constructed with blue brick and tile, covering an area of 25,000 square meters. It faces east with its back to the west, featuring a central gate tower that stands 20 meters high with a cement finish. On either side are five auxiliary rooms each, occupying over 700 square meters in total. Passing through the gate tower leads to the main hall, which is impressively built, featuring 14 cement pillars on the front and wooden corridors all around. Steps lead up to the hall. Inside, the hall is spacious and bright, 7 meters high and covering over 400 square meters, giving off an air of solemnity and dignity. Passing through the side corridors leads to the rear buildings. The rear hall is the same size as the main hall but slightly shorter in height. A wooden corridor connects it to the rear rooms, covering over 900 square meters, serving as the living quarters for the officials.

After Japan launched the “September 18th Incident,” they orchestrated the so-called enthronement of Puyi, the deposed Qing emperor. On March 9, 1932, the “Ceremony of Assuming the Premiership” was held in the living quarters within the Dao Governor’s Office. Less than a month later, they moved into the renovated Jilin-Heilongjiang Monopoly Bureau, later known as the Puppet Imperial Palace.

This site once housed the offices of the Puppet Manchukuo State Council, Privy Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legal Affairs Bureau, Negotiations Office, and the Third Preparatory Office of the Municipal Government. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, it became the garrison of the Nationalist Party’s New First Army. After the liberation of Changchun, it was used as the site of some factories. In 2002, it was reclaimed and restored by the Changchun Municipal Government, and in 2011, it was handed over to the Changchun Local Chronicles Museum for use. It is a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) announced the Jichang Dao Commissioner's Office as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Source: Changchun Tourism Bureau

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units